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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wind · fall · wave · pitcher · firm · toast · lie · degree

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. toast — bread
  4. lie — to recline
  5. degree — temperature
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. firm — a company
  8. fall — to drop
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. fall — the season
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. firm — decided
  16. fall — to drop
  17. wind — moving air
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. degree — from a university
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. wind — moving air
  23. firm — steady
  24. degree — an amount

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com